Slower au pair visa approvals hit Australian families

Johanna Paulina Gorek postponed university for a year and turned down a job at home in Germany to become an au pair in Australia.But a slowdown of working holiday visa processing times is threatening her plans. "I had already found a host family in Melbourne who had basically offered me a position, but eventually they decided to cancel because they did not want to wait longer for my visa," she told the ABC.Ms Gorek said she applied for her visa on September 3 and had spent more than $1,500 on visa application and au pair agency fees.She wanted to become an au pair to improve her English and learn Australian culture, she said. "It's so disappointing to still be waiting and not knowing exactly when I will be able to go," she said."I'm also worried that the longer I have to wait, the fewer opportunities I will have to find a suitable host family."Families say au pairs offer flexibility that other childcare arrangements do not. (Supplied: AIFS)The Department of Home Affairs began prioritising processing of onshore visa applications in July.A spokesperson said it slowed down processing first-year working holiday visas and prioritised second and third-year visas "to better manage demand and ensure the sustainability of the program over the long term"."The government will now manage first-year WHMs (working holiday makers) processing to deliver an average processing time of approximately three months," the spokesperson said."This balanced approach will provide greater control over the impact of WHMs on NOM [net overseas migration], while supporting regional labour market needs."The department's website recommends that visa applicants not "book flights or make travel, work or study commitments until their visa has been granted".Au pairs are typically young overseas visitors who live with an Australian host family and help with child care and light household tasks, in exchange for accommodation, meals, weekly pocket money and a cultural exchange experience.Cultural Au Pair Association of Australia (CAPAA) president Anna Prasad said that before July applications for the working holiday visa (subclass 417) were granted "in a matter of hours".Ms Prasad, who is also the inbound manager for the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) which facilitates au pair placements, said visas for "hundreds" of AIFS' au pairs had been delayed since July.She said "high season" for au pairs usually started in July, with 30 to 40 arranged through AIFS arriving on working holiday visas each week, but only 10 to 12 had arrived between then and the second week of September. Anna Prasad says the delays to working holiday visa processing for au pairs are a "nightmare". (Supplied: Anna Prasad)"Families are waiting for their au pairs to arrive and they have no other option in some cases," she said.The number of au pairs who come to Australia is unknown due to the informal nature of the sector, but Ms Prasad said at least 500 were connected with Australian families by the AIFS each year. Ms Prasad said the processing delays did not put Australia in a good light."It's a nightmare," she said."We are starting to see au pairs pull out of placements, choosing to travel to other countries instead for their gap year experience."Filling gaps in child careBackpackers' contribution to child care was "overlooked", said Western Sydney University heritage and tourism studies lecturer Donna James. "A lot of working holiday-makers are filling gaps in child care, particularly for families in remote, regional areas where child care is already very inaccessible," she said.Donna James says the contribution of working holiday-makers to the childcare sector is overlooked. (Supplied: Donna James)"But also for people who are working unusual hours."Dr James added that au pairs cost less and offered more flexibility than nannies. However, Migrant Justice Institute co-executive director Laurie Berg said a paper she co-authored in 2018 found that most au pairs worked long hours, were doing work beyond child care and did not have a genuine cultural experience in Australia."We need much more detailed official guidance on the rights of au pairs," she said."It's really important there are stronger regulations and processes in place to ensure that all parties are safe, secure, and are meeting their legal obligations."Backpacker visa delays affect familiesSome families find au pairs indispensable. In Perth, university lecturer Renae Barker has had to take annual leave to look after her children while she waits for her family's new au pair to arrive."We line up our au pairs, three, four months in advance," she said."But at the moment because of the slowdown in processing, we've ended up with a gap between au pairs."Dr Barker, whose husband works fly-in, fly-out in the mining industry, said au pairs helped with school pick-up and drop-off, along with after-school activities.She said they offered flexibility, as her job could "be very demanding and often time-sensitive", while her husband was away working for eight days at a time, followed by six days at home."We're going to have to pull the kids out of some of their therapies or some of their after-school activities because I can't actually get there," she said.She added that an au pair offered more than just help, but also the opportunity for her children to learn about European culture, language and food.'I feel sorry for making them wait'Shodai Kitahama, from Japan, said he was still waiting for the working holiday visa that he lodged at the end of July."The hardest part for me is that my host family has been waiting for me for a long time," he said."I didn't think the visa process would take this long, so I feel sorry for making them wait."Shodai Kitahama says he has been waiting for his visa since July. (Supplied: Shodai Kitahama)Mr Kitahama said he wanted to come to Australia to improve his English and experience its culture.He said the lack of updates on his application had caused him anxiety and made it difficult to make plans."I took a break from university and quit my job because I was preparing to go to Australia," he said."Right now I'm not working or studying, I'm just waiting to find out when I can leave."